19/05/2015
NEWS STORY
The 'will they, won't they', Audi to enter F1 saga, takes another twist as Chief Executive rules it out.
It was the shock resignation of Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piech last month that reignited long running speculation as to whether the German company, of which Audi is one of its many brands, might enter the sport, the German having previously fought hard against such a move.
Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler further fuelled the speculation when he subsequently admitted that while his company is "well stuffed with successful motorsport projects", though not currently "an option for Audi... it is still an option".
Stadler's comment came the day after the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, where the German manufacturer was being linked with Red Bull, speculation heightened by the presence of Gerhard Berger, who some claim has been acting as an intermediary in talks. Indeed, as Red Bull's woes continued, Red Bull motor sport advisor Helmut Marko warned BBC Sport: "If we don't have a competitive engine in the near future, then either Audi is coming or we are out."
Well, according to the latest update from Stadler, Audi is not coming.
"Formula One should solve its own problems" he is quoted as saying by German daily Handelsblatt.
Indeed, Stadler's primary concern at present is the decline in demand for his company's product in China, a field in which F1 is hardly in a position to offer any assistance.